GUEST OPINION: What kind of America do you want?

This fall, more Americans are eligible to vote than ever before. But many will not exercise that right. They don’t have the time. Their votes don’t matter. These elections won’t affect them. Or so they say. Such apathy, cynicism, or disengagement from the political process seriously impairs the effectiven...

This fall, more Americans are eligible to vote than ever before. But many will not exercise that right. They don’t have the time. Their votes don’t matter. These elections won’t affect them. Or so they say. Such apathy, cynicism, or disengagement from the political process seriously impairs the effectiveness of democracy — and cedes power recklessly. What happens at the ballot box — and what doesn’t — affects us all.

In a recent Fall River primary, 20 percent of eligible voters elected a new state representative with a margin of only 24 votes. What kind of voter mandate is that, and from whom? Though democracy is often messy and fraught with error, if we sit on the political sidelines, we, too, bear some responsibility for the mandate at the polls — or lack thereof. More importantly, we cannot afford to gamble on the future of this country.

Note what’s at stake this year.

We have a president and Senate candidate who believe in a government that will serve all the people, not just the wealthiest two or three percent. They want a tax system that invests in infrastructure, public education, safe communities, and health care for all. This platform means jobs, equal opportunity, and safety nets for seniors and those most vulnerable.

They also understand that investing in public education strengthens our communities. Obama has kept interest rates low on college loans, increased Pell Grants, and protected students against the onslaught of for-profit colleges which too often exhaust financial aid awards and sell students a ticket to nowhere. Obama has promised to invest billions of dollars in community colleges.

These colleges are the last hope for a better future for many students across this commonwealth, especially those in our Gateway Cities. Students develop the confidence and competence to get to where they want and need to be. These colleges support workforce development and create an educated citizenry. And they provide working and middle class students — nearly 140,000 students across this state — a real shot at the American dream.

A very different future is being offered by the Republicans. They have no real interest in pathways to prosperity for all. This trio would diminish funding for public education, privatize more schools and colleges, abandon a fair and comprehensive health care system, and support special subsidies to Big Oil. They would deny tax cuts to the middle class unless the wealthiest three percent could retain the tax advantage they’ve been privy to for more than a decade.

Two trillion dollars would be cut from Medicare and the program converted to a privatized voucher system. Social Security would be under attack. Success would be measured by the number of public programs eliminated and the dollars saved.

And the figures in the Republican budgets simply don’t add up. Our country would fall right off that looming fiscal cliff. Each of these candidates believes in that trickle-down economics fiction. Never mind that the unprecedented profits from huge corporations have yet to even trickle down and create the jobs such theories promise.

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Never mind that a disproportionate burden would be placed on middle-class Americans and the poor in terms of taxes paid, fees increased, and services eradicated. There is no credible economic solution with these budget plans, nor any fairness here.

Elections are all about deciding who gets what and who will pay for it. The decision-making happens at the polls. The future really is in our hands. And the choices are clear.

So what kind of America do you want? One that cares about the collective well-being of all its people? Or one that focuses on tax breaks for mega-corporations and the billionaires behind them? Do you want a government that stands for equity on Main Street or recklessness on Wall Street?